Ever-Changing fate
by Eos Raidekin
Summary: Is fate an already written out path, or is it in her control? ZoroxOC Rated M for language and possible lemons in future chapters.
1. Chapter 1: Creating a Path

**Hey there! For those who have read my stories before, I'm back~!**

 **SOO for my other stories, I feel that I can no longer continue them...it's been too long and I have grown too much as a person, and as a writer to even try and pick them back up. I know it's disappointing for those who were super into them, but I am so excited for this new story I have decided to post. It's another ZORO X OC, so if you're a One piece Lover, enjoy!**

 **Beware, in the future I may or may not decide to add sexual scenes (lemons) into the story.**

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"God...rain again...who the hell would want to live here?" The long haired brunette sighed as she walked down the dirt path towards town. Being on the grand line made you less and less surprised with different weather conditions, especially in the new world, but it didn't make her any less annoyed with the fact. She was surprised it didn't just flood and become apart of the vast sea.

As she came closer to the village, she could see the lights through the windows of the small buildings. Most of them were resident homes, but there was one she was very familiar with.

The bar.

She stepped through the double doors, pleased by the sights and smells that greeted her. The building was filled with smiling and laughing men and women, all with a drink nearby. She went to take a seat at the bar, grateful that the two chairs beside her were empty.

"Well look who's back," The man behind the counter smiled as he sat a mug full of alcohol in front of her. From what she had deduced about him he was the bar owners son in his mid twentys, "And still wearing a get up that makes me afraid, and turned on at the same time."

She smirked and grasped the mug in her hand, "And you're still making me wonder whether you're insulting me, or complimenting me," She brought the mug up to her red lips and poured the brown liquid into her mouth. She finished what was in her mug quite quickly and tapped the table for another.

"Well it wasn't an insult," He sat down another mug, already prepared for her second one. She had been coming in for weeks now, so he remembered her preferred drink. She was hard to forget anyways. The woman was beautiful after all. Her long chocolate brown hair swayed in sync with her hips as she walked in, and you noticed those curves right away. Her dark blue eyes could hypnotize him, and would leave him poorly attending the rest of his customers.

Unfortunately the woman was trouble and he knew that. His dad had warned him about woman pirates. They would eat a mans heart out and leave them in the dust. Of course the bar got a lot of business from pirates, they even left the wanted posters un-posted just for the extra business. You could always tell them apart from regular travelers, though. They were rougher, like her. She wore mostly black, from her pants and leather boots to her black leather jacket. The only other color in her wardrobe was the navy blue bikini top she wore, and the fingerless gloves that were matching in the same color. You could tell her hands were used to fighting, and the small scars you could see from her body painted a picture of a warrior.

"So there isn't anymore work around here, so it looks like this will be my last day at this island," She took a sip from the next drink and smiled at the man. He had been fun to tease ever since she visited the bar, but the fun always had to end eventually.

"Really?" He pouted and rested his elbow at the bar, "Well I guess you should enjoy your last couple drinks then, our neighbor islands aren't exactly close by."

"Eh, I like sailing anyways. Just keep them coming pretty boy," She tilted her head and smirked, already finished with the second mug. The man complied, going to get her the next one.

As she sat there, the bar was becoming more and more packed. The young bartender she enjoyed messing with was even struggling to keep up with the drink orders. She continued drinking, but once she ran out it took him a while to respond to her.

"Sorry! I don't know where these people came from," He laughed nervously and went to grab a mug, but she shook her head and pointed at the bottle.

"Just give me the whole thing, I'll finish it off anyways...you know I will."

It only took him a split second to agree, handing her the bottle before running off to tend to other drunkards. She sighed before turning around in her seat to analyze her surroundings.

 _"Oh I see...a pirate crew came in. No wonder he's busy..."_

She frowned a bit. She had tried to be apart of a crew, but the men were nothing but scum. Her expectations were low, but when you're a pirate and you think somebody else is trash, they are probably trash. The crew she was previously with didn't make it through the grandline anyways, so she was content with being alone. She didn't need a crew with her anyways, she knew what she needed to do.

"Does this place have food? I will have the entire menu, no matter what it is!" A loud man chuckled and threw his hands in the air. He had bright eyes and the biggest grin she had ever seen. She couldn't help but to raise an eyebrow at the way he was acting. _"I mean, is he a child? or is he just already drunk?"_

"You can't just order the entire menu Luffy," A orange haired woman knocked him in the head with her fist, annoyed with the grinning man next to her.

 _"Luffy..."_

Where had she heard this mans name before? She made note to remember infamous pirates across the grand line, but it was just not coming to her. She then began to examine the rest of the people around the table. There was so many different faces, from the blue haired man with no pants on to a beautiful raven hair woman quietly chuckling at all of there banter. She then couldn't help but to stare as she saw what appeared to be a talking skeleton. You didn't see that everyday. She took one last look at them all before it clicked in her head.

 _"The straw hat pirates...duh! He has a damn straw hat on his back for gods sake...I bet their ship is huge...with plenty of supplies...and the captain seems foolish enough..."_

She quickly stood and put her beli on the bar counter for her drinks and walked out of the bar. If they were all at the bar, that meant she could find their ship with no trouble.

 _"A smiling skull with a straw hat. Shouldn't be too hard to find right?"_ She started running towards the coast. She first checked by the pier, but of course they weren't stupid enough to dock there so she just followed the beach line.

"Fuck, finally!" She grinned, looking in delight at the large ship with the flag she had been searching for. The lion at the bow of the ship intrigued her. The craftsmanship was amazing, but what kind of pirate had such a cute ship? She walked over to examine it further. Maybe the straw hat pirates were a more important crew to remember then she had thought. Anyone could tell the time they put into a ship like this. She decided to climb onto the side of the ship furthest from the crows nest to be more cautious. If there was still any crew members on the ship, she didn't want to get caught. She heaved herself up and over the railings as quietly as she could. She looked around at her surroundings, finding herself by the mast. Nobody was around from what she could sense, so she silently made her way down the stair towards the deck.

 _"Grass? This deck has grass? What the hell?"_

She leaned down and placed her hand on the deck underneath her to make sure she wasn't going crazy. Sure enough, it was a lawn deck. She shook it off, knowing she needed to figure out what her next move was. She began opening doors, hoping to find a storage room she could hang out in until the crew departed. She just needed to hitch a ride to the next island and she'd be set. She wouldn't be hiding forever of course, just until they set off to sea. The first door she went through was to the kitchen. It was nice and clean, unusual for a pirate ship. She walked towards the pantry and grabbed a few things to take with her...wherever she found to sleep at. She continued through many doors before she found a weapons and ammunition room.

"This will work for now." She closed the door behind her and sat the supplies she took from the kitchen on the floor. It was only a few snack items, water, and of course a bottle of sake. She sat down herself and let out a long sigh, "Well, one last bottle before I sleep..." She popped open the sake and let the drink envelop her taste buds. It was too often she found rides to other islands through hitchhiking on a pirate ship. She would go introduce herself once they departed, but for now it would have to wait.

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The blue-eyed woman was awoke by loud voices and crashing from the outside. She couldn't make out what the voices were yelling about, but she could never forget what cannonballs sounded like when they were crashing into a ship.

"Oh...a fight.." She sighed and leaned on the cannonballs beside her, "I guess they will be coming in here sooner than I thought..."

All of a sudden the ship jerked, slamming her head against the boards behind her. She gasped and held onto the racks of ammunition.

 _"Damn that hurt! Whoa...what is this feeling?"_

She felt light, as if she could float, but the moment was fleeting and she could feel the ship crashing back down into the water. She continued to hold the rails and kept her footing until the ship was finally settled. Whatever happened made her feel anxious. What kind of crew was this? What kind of ship was this?! She took a deep breath before walking towards the door and slamming it open. She growled as she found her way up to the deck, finding a laughing captain and an exasperated crew.

"Let's do that again Franky!" Luffy laughed as he clapped his feet together on the grassy deck.

Another crew member spoke up from the side of the ship, one she hadn't seen before. He ran a hand through his green hair and scowled, "How the hell did the marines find us? I thought that island didn't have any marine bases?"

"Not anymore..." The brown haired woman leaned against the wall, putting her hands in her pockets. She let out a deep breath and sighed, all of the straw hats attention now towards her.

"Uh...wait, who the hell are you?!" The orange haired woman furrowed her brow and put her hands on her hips.

"Hmmm..." She waited a moment before walking towards the man with the straw hat. She sat in front of him and crossed her legs, "You're the captain right? My name is Rin...I need to get to the next island. It's cool if I ride with you to the next island, right?"

"That's not something you ask after you have already intruded a pirate ship," The green haired man walked up to her and his captain, hand on the hilt of one of his swords. She nonchalantly glanced at him, but just for a moment before returning her focus to the captain. He was just staring at her, not saying anything.

"We could just throw her overboard...if she's stowing away on other's ships she probably is broke anyways," The orange hair woman spoke up.

"Hey she's bleeding," A small animal showed himself from behind the mast. He was so cute and tiny, catching her attention. He moved closer to the woman and hid behind the captain, "The back of your head is hurt, are you okay?"

She felt the back of her head and sighed. Blood had transferred onto her hand, "Dammit...I guess I hit my head when this crazy ship jumped up and the impact was harder than I thought. What the hell happened anyways? It felt like we were in the air."

"That's the power of cola!" The blue haired man grinned, putting his forearms together, "Superr!"

"Uh...right..." She raised her eyebrow, wondering if what felt like a concussion was making her hear things. That made no sense to her and this crew was even stranger then she had anticipated. A reindeer that could talk, a man that said cola sent them flying and a blonde haired man bleeding from his nose in the background, "Oh, I think that man is injured too."

Suddenly the blonde gentleman perked up and quickly ran to her side, hearts replacing where his eyes usually were, "What beautiful fate brought such a lovely woman on our ship! You don't have to worry about me when you are the one that is injured!"

"Heh..." She leaned away from the man and kept a straight face. She wasn't very amused to say the least, "Oh I'll be fine. I've been through plenty worse."

"Aw my dear, your modesty might make me fall-" He moved closer and closer to her face, causing Rin to react.

"Boundaries, please and thank you sir," She sighed and pushed him away with a boot to the face, "I mean damn, who automatically comes on that strong?"

Luffy couldn't help but to burst out in laughter as his blonde crew member laid on the deck in disappointment. He grinned widely before speaking,"You can stay, you seem fun!"

"Fun?" Rin was confused as to how he came to the conclusion, but wasn't going to argue since it resolved her problems without a fuss, "Alright, cool."

"Luffy!" The orange haired woman began to argue, but sighed in defeat, "Why argue when he's already made up her mind..."

Rin smirked and slowly stood from the ground, "Well you sound excited to have me."

"Just don't cause trouble," She cocked out her hip and smiled, "I'm Nami, the ships navigator. You will do what I say when I say it, you got it?"

"Sure," The blue eyed woman raised her eyebrows, amused by the other woman's attitude. She went along and started to get to know the rest of the crew.

The raven haired historian, Robin.

The eccentric man in sunglasses, Franky.

The long nosed sniper, Usopp.

The cook with love eyes, Sanji.

A freaky skeleton with an afro, Brook

A tiny little reindeer that could speak, Chopper.

And lastly, the green haired swordsman that hadn't took his eyes off of her since she introduced herself to the crew, Roronoa Zoro.

He wasn't going to let her out of his sight. She was an intruder that was allowed to stay on their ship on one of his captains whims, and he didn't trust her one bit. She seemed so nonchalant about the entire situation when she could've easily just been thrown off the ship. How would she have known that Luffy would allow her to stay? If he had said no, he doubted the woman would've just laid down and allowed them to send her overboard. It only made to sense to him that she would've been prepared to fight.

"Um..can I please check your head wound? You don't want to leave it alone if it is serious," He could hear Chopper calling out to the brunette.

Rin nodded, still unsure about the talking reindeer. He led her through he kitchen into the infirmary, the green haired swordsman not too far behind. She sat on the infirmary bed and let Chopper do work on the back of her head. Once he was finished, he smiled in accomplishment and went to wash his hands, "You only needed a few stitches, you can rest in here for a while if you want to."

"Wow, you're done already?," She ran a hand through her hair and smiled, "Thanks Chopper, you're pretty awesome."

"Shut up you jerk! Your compliments don't matter to me!" He screamed out, contradicting the way he was dancing and blushing.

She smirked and watched as he squiggled his way out of the room, "He's cute..."

The swordsman only let out a grunt, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms. She smirked wider, "I like that you don't trust me swordsman. It shows you have some sense."

"Are you telling me there a good reason you shouldn't be trusted?" He narrowed his eyes at her. Who would say something so suspicious like that? This woman made him curious. She dripped of confidence with every move she made, and any word that came out of her mouth was calm and collected. Being on a pirate ship with a crew that had such a large collective bounty would usually intimidate anyone, but she chose to jump on their ship. Not only that, but she chose to show herself when she could've just stayed hidden. He silently kicked himself for allowing it to happen. He had decided to go for a quick jog while the crew was out getting drinks. He was frustrated that he had lost a bet and was forced to stay and watch the ship while there were all out drinking. He was only gone for a few minutes, she was lucky he hadn't been there when she had boarded the ship.

"I am who I am," Rin broke him out of his thoughts as she stood from the bed and walked towards him, "You're are either going to trust me, or you're not. You might like me, you might not. I'll always know who I am, Roronoa. I don't need a skeptic swordsman's approval, just your captains...though it would be best if we could get along."

She saw his scowl deepen, but she only shrugged it off. Nobody could really scare her off anyways, though she had to admit to herself he seemed like a strong man. He had toned muscles on every part of his body, which was pleasing to look at. The scar on his chest was the most evident feature on his figure, stretching from his shoulder and disappearing underneath his haramaki. The band around his stomach somewhat disappointed her since she couldn't examine his muscles beneath it. She brought er eyes back up to his neck, then noticing the three earrings that dangled on his ear. She didn't realize how attractive he was until now. Even the scar over his left eye was attractive to her. She liked fighting men after all, but this wasn't the time for these thoughts. She had forgotten how long she had been standing there looking him over and when she looked up at his one open eye he was staring back at her, still with a glare, "What are you looking at?"

"Sorry you took too long to say something back to me...my eyes were tired of looking at your scowl so they ventured to other places more satisfying," Rin was being truthful, but was still amused by his reaction. His eye widening in surprise and his cheeks having slightly more color. She couldn't help but to let out a chuckle, "See, we are getting along already."

"Stupid woman, you speak nonsense," He growled and went to walk out of the room. The woman seemed to not have a filter, and he didn't know how to react to it. The way she had been looking at him made him feel something he hadn't felt in a while. She was checking him out, with no shame of it either. He hadn't even thought about it, but her figure wasn't so bad either. He never thought that way though, he had no time for women and those kind of desires. He had dreams he needed to work towards. He huffed before walking out of the infirmary and shutting the door behind him.

"Well," She couldn't help but smile. Maybe their Captain was right, this would be fun.

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 **Well, hope you enjoyed the chapter. I will be attempting to post once a week from now on. I actually have the next chapter finished, I'm just giving myself some lee-way and letting myself be a chapter ahead at one time!**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Make sure to like and/or review!**


	2. Chapter 2: Start of a Good day

**As promised, Chapter 2 is here~ Thanks for those who are following the story :)**

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It had only been one week since she had been with the straw hats and to say the least, it had been amusing to her. The way the crew's happy-go-lucky captain would spring about with his devil fruit ability, how Usopp could come up with the most ridiculous stories she had ever heard of, and even how Nami could make Zoro flinch at the mention of money he owed her. They hadn't a care in the world.

She spent most of her time in either the training room, or a larger storage room that Franky had turned into a make-shift guest bedroom. Their hospitality really confused her to say the least. She had pretty much forced herself on them and they were still the nicest pirates she ever met, especially in the new world. The only person that still hadn't warmed up to her was the swordsman.

Rin stretched as she awoke and let out a yawn. Even though she was used to waking up on the earlier side of the morning, she still hated it. She slowly stood and changed into some clothes Robin had let her borrow. It wasn't something she would usually wear, however she couldn't keep wearing her one outfit without washing it every now and then. The jean shorts were so short you could almost see her ass, and the yellow halter tops hem stopped above her belly button.

 _"Ugh...why yellow?"_

She sighed and sat back down to tie her boots back on, "Well...beggars can't be choosers," She then exited her room and made her way to the kitchen. Everyone had already sat down to eat and the daily banter had already begun. It was loud and she was still sleepy, but she decided she was going to have a good day that day.

"I can't wait for food!" Luffy grinned as he held a fork and knife in each hand.

"Morning," Rin waved at the group as she made her way to the table. She took a seat in-between the green haired swordsman and the long haired navigator to wait patiently for her food.

The cook with his heart eyes made his way to her and filled her cup with coffee, "You look beautiful as ever this morning!"

"Thanks, Sanji," She smiled at the man before he swirled away to make their plates. She had gotten used to his swooning ways, and it didn't bother her much unless he got too close to her face. She picked up her coffee cup and blew away the steam before taking a sip. She needed it to have breakfast with this crew. They were much to loud for her liking first thing in the morning.

"You do look really good Rin, it's nice to see you in something more colorful," Nami smiled sweetly at her, sipping tea from a cup of her own. They were getting along a little better now that some time had passed. At first she expected to have nothing to do with the her, but it was evident that the woman was a caring soul.

Rin nodded, "Thanks...you too Robin for lending them to me. My clothes were in dire need of a good wash."

"No problem," Robin smiled at the woman before Sanji sat her plate in front of her. The women always got their food first, the cook made sure of that.

"Sanji! Come on I'm starving!" Luffy pouted until his food was in front of him. The man was like a never ending pit when it came to food so his plate was stacked.

While they all began to eat and have conversations, Rin was lost in her thoughts. It had been a week and according to the navigator, the next island was two or three more weeks away. The crew knew nothing of the next island they were heading to other than it would be a new adventure for them. It was disappointing, since she had a specific destination in mind.

 _"I wonder if it will be the one I'm looking for..."_

Suddenly, the voice of Nami saying her name snapped her back into reality, "Uh...what?"

"I asked you where you were from," The orange-haired woman looked at her expectantly, "Well?"

"Oh...well I'm from a town on San Faldo if you know where that is," She took a bite of her food before continuing, "San Faldo is one of the stops on the sea train."

"That's awesome! Franky know's all about the sea train!" Usopp grinned and put an arm around the huge robotic man's shoulders.

Franky's face lit up with pride, "I helped Tom build the very first functioning sea train! Do you know it's story?!"

"No not too much, but I know many find it pretty handy," She smiled as he then began telling stories of his mentor. Tom sounded important to him so she listened and tried to remember any details she felt was significant, even though she hated that sea train. It was just a path the marines could use to do as they pleased...and they had been doing just that until someone had brought down Enies Lobby. That's when it dawned on her, and she couldn't help but interrupt Franky's reminiscing, "It's been over two years since it happened...but...Enies Lobby was one of the stops on the train...do you know who caused the buster call?"

"We had a certain part of it, why do you ask?" Robin spoke up, curious as to why the other woman would bring it up. It was more than two years ago, and the place had been obliterated.

"No reason really...just...thanks," Rin frowned, looking up to meet Robin's eyes for a moment before standing from the table and turning to walk out of the room, "Thank you for the breakfast Sanji," with that she shut the door behind her. She was sure they were probably confused about her sudden outburst, but she didn't feel like thinking about the past anymore for the time being, she decided this was going to be a good day after all.

Rin made her way to the weight room and sighed, looking at the variety of training equipment lying around. The only person that used it other than her was the swordsman and he tended to wait until she was gone. She grabbed one of Zoros dumbbells and bent her knees to begin her sidestep reps. The weight was huge, making her push herself to keep it up. It was good this swordsman had things like these, it was easier to maintain her strength this way.

After a few good reps she felt a presence behind her. She ignored it for a while to see if they would say anything, but once they didn't her lips curved into a smirk, "Enjoying the show?"

She quickly turned around, spotting Zoro leaning against the wall. Of course it would've been him, but she was still somehow surprised, "Oh hey, did you need something?"

"You're strong. Most people can't lift that," He slowly walked past the woman and took his arms out of his green coat, letting it drape down at his waist. She let her eyes linger over his toned body and she couldn't help but grin. He chose to ignore the shameless woman and lowered himself to the floor, starting his push ups for the day.

"I'm stronger than I look," She shrugged and sat the weight down, "Okay with sharing the room today, huh?"

He was going to wait for her to finish with the room as usual, but he wanted to know more about her. Breakfast was the first time she had mentioned anything about herself, and it was also the first time he saw something true in her eyes. There was some kind of feeling in her expression earlier, and this would be the only way he could think of to find out.

"I didn't say you could use my things, you know, " He sighed only flashing a glare towards the woman. She chuckled and walked over to him, only to set herself down next to him. The were quiet for a moment longer, him doing his workout while she observed him and rested her head in her hand. He growled and halted what he was doing, "What do you want, woman?""

"I'm just thinking," She lifted her head and narrowed her eyes towards him mockingly, "You know, _man_ , I bet I could do more push ups than you."

"What?" He was baffled at the woman. He didn't think he ever met a woman with as much nerve as Rin had. He couldn't help but smirk back at her at this point, her eyes sparkling in amusement, "Let's bet on it then. You owe me a barrel of booze when I win."

"Ah, so you are competitive Roronoa?" She quickly jumped into position and began doing push ups, "I have finally learned something new about you!"

"Yeah well I know nothing about you. You haven't told us anything about yourself until this morning," He remarked back truthfully. The woman barely talked about herself, today being the only time they got a detail out of her.

She chuckled a bit, "You never asked. I don't too have much to hide."

"Bullshit," His voice was shook ever so slightly, trying to focus on his movements as well as their conversation, "Okay then, what are you doing stowing away on stranger's pirate ships on the grand line?"

She paused a moment, "I don't have a crew so I have to get around somehow. I find a ship and jump on it. If they let me stay with out a fuss, great. If they try and throw me off...well let's just say I don't get thrown off."

"So what were you planning when you jumped on our ship?" He couldn't help but sound annoyed. He should've been there to stop the woman, but he wasn't going to admit that he had gotten lost during his jog back to the boat that night.

"I didn't have a plan, I was just winging it honestly...I also was a little drunk so I wasn't thinking about much at all at the moment," She answered truthfully, knowing it sounded ridiculous.

He snickered at the woman and shook his head. He could feel his forehead beginning to sweat from the work out, "Fine then...so, how did you make it to the new world if you don't even have a crew?"

"I can handle myself," She sighed, keeping up with Zoro's pace, "I tried the whole 'crew' thing once. It just didn't work out. I only really need myself anyways to do what I need to do."

"And what do you need to do?" He quickly questioned back, her choice of words made him curious. She laughed a bit before giving a retort.

"So many questions Roronoa, yet I haven't even been able to ask you any," He growled, but let her continue, "First I would like to know where that big scar on your chest came from."

"It was a long time ago...but it only made me stronger," He paused before carrying on, "I challenged the worlds greatest swordsman."

"No way..." It was hard to believe that the Dracule Mihawk would let an opponent live. She had heard stories about the man, and they were no less than terrifying, "How are you even alive after that? That man sounds like a force of nature."

"I can't die. Not until I take his title," He had said it several times before, but he meant it more than ever.

The determination in his voice was evident, and it was something she could understand. His dream was more just than hers, but she would be just as determined nonetheless, "Hm..."

They were quiet for a while, still continuing there push ups in the silence. Rin and Zoro were both persistent, pushing their bodies to beat the other. It was several minutes longer before Rin decided to speak, "You have way to much endurance for a human."

"You are talking about me? You're still going too," He growled, feeling his body growing warmer and warmer as time went by, "It's been at least an hour."

"Well I guess I must resort to other tactics," She gave a thoughtful look, trying to think of something to catch him off guard, "Unless you want to give up."

"I don't give up," He scoffed and glanced at the woman, "You have no shame, do you?"

"Now let's see...what makes you uncomfortable..." She ignored his retort, "You know, you're more modest then I thought you'd be."

He furrowed his brow, "What the hell are you talking about?"

Her lips stretched into a wide grin, "Come on Zoro, you said it yourself. I'm not ashamed of anything I say or do. I know you noticed me checking you out the first day I met you. I mean you were really uncomfortable when I admitted it."

"Tch," He sucked his teeth in, "I wasn't uncomfortable. You're just fucking weird."

"No, I'm just to the point. Usually men find it refreshing," He only growled back, making her roll her eyes, "The only difference between me and you is I own up to it, while I'm sure you've checked me out plenty of times in your stalker-esque mission to not trust me."

"Woman you're in your own head," He could feel his face warming up. Of course he had noticed her body...it was as if it demanded the attention, hips swaying sensually with ever step she took. Her long brown hair reminded him of silk, draped over her perfectly toned back, he could almost picture himself combing his fingers through it. When she looked at him with her amused sly grin it pissed him off, but for some reason it excited him as well. Rin had something about her that made you want to trust her, but at the same time he knew nothing about the woman. Although she was tempting, he knew anything he felt was just a chemical reaction in his brain telling him to fulfill his body's desires. This was why he spent years and years strengthening his mind, he wasn't going to let his body's desire get the best of him, not if he could help it. He had dreams and promises that were first priorities anyways.

"No, I think you are," She sighed, watching the man's expression, "What is wrong with having another warm body in your bed every now and then, swordsman? It would probably make you loosen up."

He tried ignoring the woman, but he could tell she was enjoying herself, "If you are thinking about _my_ warm body though, then I can give you some tips. I would be on top, I'm pretty good at it, and I tend to be...eh, not the most quiet chick in-between the sheets."

"Woman will you shut up?" He glared at the women, cheeks red from more than exertion. She was trying to push his buttons, and it unsettled him that she was succeeding.

"Oh you want me to be quiet now," She spoke in a suggestive tone, "Is that what you really want though? Zoro, what do-"

He couldn't take it anymore, he interrupted her with bringing his hand to her mouth and pinning her to the ground. He glared at the woman and gave a snarl, "Can you hear she-devil?! I said to shut up!"

He could feel her lips curl up into a smile underneath his palm. She pulled up his hand by his wrist and sat herself back up, dangerously close to his face, "So...I guess I won..." His eyes widened a bit, realizing what had happened. Rin patted him twice on the cheek before pushing him to the side so she could stand. She wasn't surprised, she had pegged him as an easily provoked man, "You can pay up when we get to the next island. Man, an entire barrel of booze! Sounds like a great time."

"Devil woman, how does that count as a win?" He snapped at her, but she only chuckled back.

"You stopped before I did, so therefore I won, now time for me to go shower," She stretched and waved back to him as she made her way towards the exit, "All's fair in love and war, Roronoa."

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 **Thanks for reading!**

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	3. Chapter 3: Joy

**Here is your Tuesday update! Thank you FrenchyReader for being my first reviewer! I really like to know ya'lls thoughts, so if you have any don't be shy :)**

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Rin had made her way to the deck, sighing as she felt the warmth of the sun on her skin. She was satisfied with her win of the day, and she couldn't help but to keep the grin on her face. She knew how to make Zoro squirm, and she loved that she had that kind of power. She sighed with a stretch before beginning to walk towards the bathroom.

"Oi, Rin!" She heard Luffy call out to her. She turned towards his voice, and her eyes widened to see the captain's body hurling towards her. She instinctively ducked and the man crashed into the wooden boards of the ship behind her.

"Hey rubber man, you don't have to come at me like that every time you want my attention," She raised an eyebrow, but Luffy only laughed.

"Come fish with us!" He grinned and started to shove her towards the group sitting at the edge of the ship. Usopp was holding several fishing rods as Chopper, Franky, and Brook cheered as Luffy got closer with Rin.

"I was going to go shower..." She started, but couldn't help but give in to the Captain, "Alright fine, but do we really need all of us to catch a couple of fish?"

"Have you seen how much Luffy eats?!" Usopp handed her a rod and pointed at the ocean, "Besides, everyone should jump at the chance to fish with me, the greatest fisherman of all time! I can catch millions of fish at one time without ease! Now you look like a beginner Rin, so pay attention to my beyond outstanding technique!"

"Uh...yeah..." Rin couldn't help but chuckle at the theatrical way he was speaking. She walked past the man and grabbed a piece of bait that they had lying out on the deck. The fishing line twinkled from the sun as she threw it out far into the ocean, and she sat herself on the side of the ship.

Franky laughed loudly, speaking mockingly at Usopp, "You really helped her out there, worlds greatest fisherman!"

"S-she is just a fast learner, she must've been watching me fish from the crows nest!" He laughed nervously and crossed his arms, trying to play it off.

"Sure..." She shrugged and relaxed as she watched the waves underneath her. She had learned to fish at a young age, so to her it wasn't the hardest thing to do.

Suddenly she felt a presence moving closer to her face. She turned to the side to find the musician beside her. The skeleton made her uncomfortable, especially since you could feel him looking at you even though there were no eyes to look back into.

"Rin-san?" He spoke gently and quietly, "I don't know if I've asked you this yet...but...may I see your panties?"

Her eyes widened slightly, taken back at the unforeseen question. Before she could say anything back Brook went tumbling into the ground, hit by a seething cooks foot.

"How dare you ask our beautiful guest such an unmannerly question!" Before Sanji could continue his lecturing to the whining Brook.

"How did you even hear me..."

Sanji kicked him in the head again, "I always will know when a woman needs to be spared from a manner deprived man!"

Rin wasn't able to hold it back any longer, bursting out in a fit of laughter. The men were slightly startled, not expecting the sudden outburst.

"I'm sorry, just...what is happening right now? You guys are just so ridiculously funny," She continued laughing, having to hold herself back from falling forwards into the sea. She hadn't laughed this hard in years, literally. Never had she met such a flamboyant set of people before and for once in a long time she wasn't thinking about her own problems. Her inner demons lost in the air even for just one moment. After she calmed herself down she just continued watching the group goof around. It was entertaining as she waited for a fish to bite onto her hook.

Zoro had dropped down from his training room to hear the events unfolding with his crew. Seeing that brunette she-devil laugh was new to him, it was a different expression than any of the others she had seen. She was joyful, and he almost wished that he could see her that way all the time. He shook his head head and let out a loud sigh, annoyed with himself that he was putting so much thought towards her.

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After all day fishing it was finally dinner time. They had caught enough fish to last them days, well that was if Luffy didn't finish it off right then and there. Sanji had cooked an extravagant set of recipes as usual, which Rin was impressed to say the least. She was so used to eating whatever she could find...she had long forgotten what it felt like to have a full nutritious meal.

The dinner went as it normally did that night. Banter and laughter as Luffy shoveled food into his mouth, and Brook singing whatever came to his mind. They were all having a great time, but Rin could only feel her heart twinge at the nostalgia of it all. They were like a family...like her family...her long gone, dead in a ditch family.

The mentally shook herself from those thoughts and put on a smile for the crew happily continuing on around her. Her mess of a life was her own disaster to deal with, she didn't have a need for such attachments. She needed to distance herself.

 _"'They' will be at peace soon...only then will I have time for grief..."_

She was first to leave the table, thanking the blonde haired cook before exiting the dining area. She made her way to the washroom straight after that, relieved that she could take her long awaited shower. Nami had left her some night clothes on the shelf, just a bandeu top with straps and a pair of soft cotton shorts.

 _"These girls really like to show their legs."_

She twisted the water faucet to the hot setting and waited a moment before hot water poured out of the shower head. Rin quickly undressed herself and stepped underneath the misting water, relaxing more and more with every droplet. She let herself get lost in thought, thinking about everything that had transpired that day.

Her mind slowly drifted to back her interaction with the swordsman and a smile crept on her face. She usually didn't have to coerce a man to like her, but she felt accomplished knowing she had gotten underneath his skin. A challenge for once was nice, since every man she flirted with would typically take the bait right away. Just because she was alone most of the time didn't mean her needs just went away. She would pick up a guy every now and then from a bar to get her fix and go on her merry way. Most women wouldn't dare to live that way, but she wasn't ashamed of it. Nobody's opinion mattered anyways, it was just nice to feel something more every now and then...sometimes it was nice for the numbness to disappear...even just for a second...

The swordsman would just be a fun venture for now, whether anything happened between them or not. It would nonetheless be entertaining.

When Rin finished her shower she quickly got dressed, she didn't want to still be there when Robin and Nami came to wash themselves. She adjusted her clothing and patted her hair with a towel before walking out of the bathroom. When she stepped out onto the deck it was already dark out, the sky lit completely with stars.

"Hm," She let out a content sigh and decided to climb up to the crows nest, being closer to the sky always seemed to make her feel more content. However it wasn't surprising to the woman when she found Zoro sitting by himself in the tower, looking out into the distance.

"Do you always have watch duty or what?" Rin jokingly spoke as she walked to his side.

Zoro let out a grunt and revealed a large bottle of sake in his hand. He took a sip and turned to face her, "I'm always awake anyways."

"That's what afternoon naps will do to you," She exhaled before gently taking the bottle from his hands and taking a long swig of the smooth liquid. The burn from the alcohol was stronger than she had anticipated, but she welcomed it.

Zoro narrowed his eyes towards her before snatching the bottle back, "Did you just come up here to steal my booze?"

"No, but if I knew you had a stash up here I would've came up sooner," She gave a small smirk and sat on the rail in front of him, "I have to admit, I love a good drink."

"Hm," He drank some more of the bottle before walking towards the rail to lean against it, however he decided to keep his distance from her, "That's probably the only thing we have in common."

"You think so?" She said, "I'm sure we have more in common with each other than you think...I mean we are kind of both pirates so...we all pretty much strive for the same things."

"And what are these 'things'?" He raised an eyebrow and stood straight, sliding his hands in his pockets.

"Adventure, booze, sex, and money...naturally," She explained, tilting her head, "Am I wrong?"

He sighed and couldn't help but smirk, "You have your own damn motto for being a pirate, huh."

She nodded, watching him with her alluring eyes. He couldn't help but keep his eyes locked on hers as she began to speak, "So swordsman, which one is your favorite?"

"It's not that hard to figure out." He uttered before taking another swig of his drink.

"I see...you want to know what mine is?" She grinned slyly and stood up from the rail. She slowly sauntered forward and stopped close to him, leaving only an inch between them. She watched his face closely, his eyes not leaving her sight either.

He held his breath, not knowing what the woman was trying to do to him. She was just standing there...her body so close to his. It would only take one step for the bodies to meet. He was only a couple of inches taller than her, so the eye contact was easy to hold. Her eyes were full of a mixture of amusement and desire, and she could see his hunger as well. It took a lot of self control for him to keep his breath from hitching, but he wasn't going to let her win. He knew she was trying to get to him, just like she aways did.

"Hmm," She hummed in delight before slowly taking the bottle from his hand. His gripped had became loose anyways, so it was easy for her to take it away. Without breaking their eye contact she brought the sake to her blushed lips and let the liquid run down her throat. The grin on her lips grew more mischievous as she only broke their eye contact for a second to look at the bottle.

"God...I can't wait for my barrel."

This made him suck his teeth and he snatched the drink from her hands. His actions caused her to give a soft chuckle, placing a hand on his bare chest that was peaking out from his long green jacket, "Don't be so bitter, Zoro."

She rubbed his chest with her thumb only a moment before turning around with an exhale, making her way back to her place on the rail. She didn't sit back down however, she only leaned forward against it so she could look at the dark sky.

His chest burned with heat from her touch, but he shook it off and finished off his bottle. He needed a lot more alcohol now. He lifted up the cushion from the bench in the tower and pulled out another bottle. He opened it and swiftly chugged down the liquid until he was out of breath, leaving only half of the bottle left.

He slowly walked back to her, hoping to himself that she wouldn't try anything else for the rest of the night. Rin averted her gaze away from the sky when he walked next to her, him leaning against the rail as well. She raised an eyebrow, surprised that he had came back to where she was. Maybe he was starting to enjoy the way they went back and forth at eachother.

"Hey, Zoro?"

"Huh?" He looked over to her, but her eyes were only fixated to the sky above her.

"Why did you join this crew?" She glanced back at him only for a second.

He grinned back at her, "It's a long story, but Luffy has a way of getting people to stay. I'm sure you see it."

"Yeah...I guess so," She nonchalantly shrugged, giving a sideways smile, "I will say he sure is something different."

She had to admit that Luffy was very likable, but she didn't understand why all of these people were so dedicated to him. He didn't seem like the strongest, or the smartest. There must've been something she hadn't seen yet, or maybe she was just underestimating the man.

She pushed herself away from the siding and stretched her arms above her head, "Well, thanks for the company Roronoa..." She put her hands behind her back and leaned her face close to his, making him recline away from her proximity, "You going to come train with me tomorrow like you did this morning?"

He scowled, looking away from the woman, "It's my shit, so I will use it when I damn well feel like it. Whether you're there or not doesn't matter to me."

"Mmm," She mumbled in gratification before walking away from the man, "I'm sure it doesn't."

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 **There you go :) I think you all are going to really like Rin's arc, gosh I'm so excited the more I write! 3 Love you guys!**


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